TROY, N.Y. — To educate and nurture today’s would-be entrepreneurs, universities across the country face a difficult question: Can innovation, risk-taking, and originality be taught in the classroom? For more than 180 years, students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been developing technologies, creating innovations, and forming business ventures to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications. Now the Institute is continuing to push the boundaries by broadening the definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur. 

Several members of the Class of 2007 are taking innovation and entrepreneurship to new heights. They will be participating in Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement on May 19 at 9:30 a.m. on the Harkness Field.

Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer
“Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business. Our new model for entrepreneurship at Rensselaer is a way to think, a way to learn, and a way to succeed in any new venture,” said Robert Chernow, vice provost for entrepreneurship at Rensselaer. “We recognize that everyone does not want to be an entrepreneur, but in today’s world, it has become important for most everyone to be able to think like one.”

Chernow was appointed in January 2006 to the newly created position, which was established to strengthen Rensselaer’s culture of entrepreneurship and lead the Institute’s efforts to infuse the study, research, and practice of entrepreneurship across the curriculum. 

There has been significant growth in entrepreneurship education across the country in the last two decades, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. More than 1,600 colleges offer courses in entrepreneurship, up from 300 schools in the 1980s. At least 300 four-year higher education institutions now offer courses designed for students not enrolled in the business school.

“It is important to open up new opportunities for anyone with an innovation or idea – whether it’s social, cultural, commercial, or technological,” Chernow said. It is this entrepreneurial spirit — trusting an idea, taking risks, plunging into the unknown, and harnessing innovation to turn a concept into a thriving enterprise — that Chernow wants to instill in every student, from the freshman to the Ph.D. candidate.

Fostering entrepreneurship is one of the main thrusts of The Rensselaer Plan, the Institute’s blueprint for success. The plan calls for infusing understanding and encouragement of entrepreneurship throughout all five academic schools and student programs, and cultivating a campus culture that motivates students and graduates to pursue commercialization and enterprise-building activities.

“Our plan for entrepreneurship education encompasses every aspect of the Rensselaer experience,” Chernow said. “We plan to integrate existing courses and develop new ones, provide more experiential learning opportunities, new seminars, a speaker series, and networking opportunities for all our students.”

From the Classroom to the Boardroom
Rather than sending out resumes, Alexander and Alexey Gutin of Albany, N.Y., are accepting them — and they have been for several years. Well before coming to Rensselaer to study computer and systems engineering, the 23-year-old Russian-born twin brothers started an Internet software company in their bedroom.

Even before they could speak in full sentences, the brothers showed an insatiable curiosity for learning. “As toddlers, the boys used to take screwdrivers and unscrew everything in the house, so much so that on any given day a door would fall off the hinges, or the bottom of their bed would fall out because the screws were gone,” said Mikhail Gutin, the twins’ father. By age 5, the brothers learned how to play chess and by age 6 they were beating their parents and older children at the game. 

Since then, the brothers have continued to seek innovative solutions to complex technical challenges. In high school, their company Web Scribble joined Rensselaer’s Incubator Program — one of the only student companies in the program at the time — and last year their company moved to Rensselaer’s Technology Park.

The company focuses on designing a suite of software products for small to medium-size companies, ranging from dating Web sites to personalized and social networking sites and job boards. Currently, the company has more than 5,000 customers in the United States and in over 30 foreign countries, and it has made more than $1 million in its seven-year existence, allowing the brothers to pay for their college education. With more than 15 employees — many of them college students — the company plans to increase staff and expand its product line with the release of two or three new products by the end of the year. 

Eventually, the brothers’ perseverance encouraged their parents to start a company of their own. Called Applied Science Innovations, the company develops new products and technologies, and conducts research in optics, electro-optics, and digital imaging. The two ventures now share office space in Rensselaer’s Technology Park.

“We never really thought we would be where we are today,” Alexander said. “It’s hard for someone with no experience to start doing things — let alone to manage a business. We have learned that it’s important not to get discouraged if the first idea fails; that’s part of the learning process. The most rewarding aspect of managing our business is that we truly love what we are doing.  It’s important to pursue something that you are really passionate about.”

The brothers plan to continue their relentless pursuit of discovery and innovation after graduation. Alexander plans to enroll at Albany Law School to pursue a J.D. in either business or intellectual property law, and Alexey plans to continue at Rensselaer pursuing a master’s in electrical or computer systems engineering.

Seeking an Innovative Solution to an Unrecognized Need
Almost 250 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, including more than 20 million people in the United States alone, according to statistics from the American Diabetes Association and the International Diabetes Federation. A team of Rensselaer seniors in Inventor’s Studio — an engineering course designed to promote innovation and give students hands-on experience with the process of developing a commercially viable product — are creating a device that could aid diabetic patients with early identification of foot disorders caused by the disease.

Diabetics often suffer from neuropathy, losing nerve sensation due to blocked arteries below the knee. This causes them to lose feeling in their feet, and they may not notice if their feet become infected by ulcers, sores, blisters, bunions, or other foot disorders. If infections are not caught early enough, patients can be faced with the possibility of amputation.

Doctors urge diabetics to regularly check their feet, but no device exists for this purpose — except for a mirror. The student members of Innovative Engineering Solutions Inc. (IES) are developing a foot scanning device called STOMP (Scanning Thermal and Optical Measurement Platform), which will consist of an all-in-one scanner, printer, fax, external speakers, thermal gradient straps, and an LCD screen for viewing. The device will scan visual and infrared images of the bottom of an individual’s foot, obtain blood pressure and heart rate readings, check skin surface temperature, swelling, increased hardness, and moisture content.

The team is composed of three engineering students: Jessica Chin of Weston, Mass., who is a double major in mechanical and biomedical engineering; Daniel Farrow, originally from Great Yarmouth, England, now residing in Burnt Hills, N.Y., who is majoring in mechanical engineering; and Paul Dajewski, originally from Poland, now residing in East Greenbush, N.Y., who is majoring in electrical engineering.

The cost of amputations is staggering, falling between $20,000 to $50,000 for a major amputation procedure, according to the team. The cost of treating diabetic foot ulcers is reported to range between $4,000 to $8,000 per general ulcer, and approximately $17,000 for an infected ulcer. On average, more than 80,000 amputations are done each year--approximately one every three seconds, according to statistics from several national research organizations.

“Every solution begins with a problem,” the team members said. “The ability to recognize any potential changes or infection in one’s foot in the early stages can help individuals seek early treatment options. We are not looking to cure diabetes or the foot disorders that are associated with the disease, we are trying to prevent the devastating human pain, social, and economic effects of an amputation to the patient and their families,” says the team.

Over the last few months, members of Innovative Engineering Solutions have consulted with medical professionals, researchers and diabetic patients, and conducted surveys to seek out potential users. Most recently, the company won Rensselaer’s Tech Valley $50K Tech Valley Collegiate Business Plan Competition. Upon graduation, team members plan to develop a working prototype by the end of the summer.  

Managing a Multi-Million Dollar Enterprise
James Fisher of Tulsa, Okla., is getting a firsthand look at what it takes to run a full-scale business. As president of the Rensselaer Union, the 22-year-old senior majoring in information technology and psychology managed an $8.1 million budget and oversaw more than 165 clubs, the Rensselaer Bookstore, food services, a convenience store, and a games area — not to mention budgets for the university’s intercollegiate athletic programs. 

The Rensselaer Union is a student-run, self-supporting, and self-governing body that controls, finances, and organizes student activities. Rensselaer is one of only 20 colleges and universities in the United States that operate their student unions using this structure.

Fisher is just one example of the more than 100 students who have served as president of the Union, preparing for future careers by focusing on student leadership development and gaining business management experience. The position was established in 1891.

“The opportunity of serving as president of the Union has given me invaluable business experience at a young age,” Fisher said. “In the process, I have learned the importance of finding a balance in managing all aspects of my academics and participation in student activities, while running a multi-million-dollar organization.

“There are lessons that I have learned everyday,” he continued. “Leading an organization with as broad a reach as the Rensselaer Union means that your leadership personally affects the lives of people. The most valuable lesson that I’ve learned is that taking risks pays off, and that is evident in the new programs, student-led initiatives, and changes in club operations in an effort to enhance the student life experience.”

Upon graduation, Fisher will move to New York City to work for Bank of America Securities in their Network Computing Group.

Contact: Jessica Otitigbe
Phone: (518) 276-6050
E-mail: otitij@rpi.edu